Monday, December 6, 2010

No elevator to the top

Saturday I "did" a craft show.  It was the second of three I had scheduled for the holiday season.  Things did not look good as we unloaded the car and found that the elevator to the basement, where my stall would be, was not working properly.  In fact, the maintenance man had to operate it manually (with a key) and in order for the door to open, he had to whack it with his hand several times.  This did not fill me with joy, despite it being the joyous season.

I heard the maintenance man tell someone that they would only operate the elevator for vendor set up.  This was not good news because the craft show is spread over four floors of the school.  A lot of older people patronize this craft show.  No elevator meant they wouldn't be traveling up and downstairs.

My location, in the basement, doesn't sound great, especially as it's across from the boiler room (the door is always left open) and there's a lot of NOISE.  But, it's right outside the cafeteria, and lots of people come to the baked food sale (where they also serve pizza and pulled pork sandwiches).

During the course of the show, a woman bent down and said, "Here, someone lost these."  She handed me a pair of beaded green earrings with little shamrocks on them.  "Maybe someone will come looking for them," she said.  So I kept them on my table ... just in case.

Sadly, those shamrock earrings did not bring their owner any luck.  How long had she had them--five minutes--before dropping them?  But they did bring me luck.

First:  During a lull, I got a bunch of ideas for the work in progress.  (Oh boy, is Angelica in trouble!)

Second:  At my last show, I sold less than I ever have at a show.  This show, I sold more than I ever had at one show.  So despite the broken elevator, enough people who wanted to give books as gifts migrated to the basement anyway.

Third:  I got to keep the shamrock earrings because nobody claimed them.

Do you believe in good luck?